Badal Jam

The diversity of India is as much visible in its people as it is on its palate. Each taste bud on our tongue has had the privilege to relish distinct flavors. While there are a plethora of dishes hailing from different regions today, this was the case centuries ago too. 

Little did we know that in the process of experimenting and reinventing food, we would end losing out on a host of special recipes that were cherished at that time. One such lost treasure that comes to mind is the Badal-e-Jaam. The royalty in the name is evidence to the fact that this belonged to the royal courts of Awadh. A vegetarian delicacy that has faded from the culinary scape needs us to revive it. 

It is an Awadhi specialty that is made with brinjals or auberjines. The brinjals were sliced into small discs which were traditionally deep-fried and coated with a thick, mushy sauce. The layers on the eggplant consisted of a spicy tomato-onion mixture (the staple mix for any North Indian gravy today) which was finished off with a curd-based sauce with chopped coriander and mint leaves. 

The bright red colur that the tomato sauce lends to the dish makes it stand out. This also pairs perfectly well with the Mughlai fare like yakhni pulao, gosht etc. as a side dish. 

A fried appetizer that filled the royal courts with its aroma back in those days, is nowhere to be found in our home kitchens today. 

So today, I thought to make it, my Mom used to make this dish but we did not know this royal name, also; her brinjal used to be long like Chinese eggplant.

Ingredients:

*Our badal jaam recipe calls for shallow frying—not deep frying—slices of round brinjals for a healthier and lighter dish. The frying time will depend on how thick the slices are and how fresh or firm the brinjal is.

* oil, to shallow fry
* 1 eggplant (brinjal), about 400 grams, sliced into 3/8-inch rounds

Tomato Sauce:

* 5 1⁄2 tablespoons onion paste
* 1 tablespoon ginger paste
* 3 tablespoons garlic paste
* 1 kilogram tomato, (about 10 medium tomatoes), ripe, blanched, peeled, and chopped
* 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
* 2 teaspoon red chilli powder

Yogurt Sauce:

* 5 00 grams yogurt, (about 2¼ cups yogurt), hung in a muslin cloth to drain till reduced by half in volume
* 3 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped
* 1 tablespoon lime juice

* 1 tsp, chaat masala

1. Method:

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2. 1- Fry eggplant (brinjal): Pour oil, enough to shallow fry eggplant (brinjal), into a frying pan over high heat. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, carefully place slices of eggplant (brinjal) in a single layer into the pan. Fry till golden brown, 1 to 1½ minutes on each side, then remove with a slotted spoon. Place on kitchen paper napkins to drain. You will need to fry in batches of 3 or 4 slices at a time as the eggplant (brinjal) needs to be fried in a single layer without overlapping. Set aside.
    
3. 2- Make tomato sauce: Pour 3 tablespoons of the oil used to shallow fry the eggplant (brinjal) into a deep pan or kadhai over high heat. Once the oil is hot, slide in onion paste and sauté, adjusting heat as needed, till golden, about 4 minutes. Add ginger paste, stir well, and toss in garlic paste, scraping the bottom of the pan while stirring. Pour in 1 to 2 teaspoons water if the ginger or garlic is catching the bottom of the pan. Sauté till brown, without burning the onion–garlic masala, about 1½ minutes. Tip in chopped tomato with any tomato juices that might have collected in the bowl. Stir for a couple of minutes, then add salt and red chilli powder. Continue to cook tomato mixture, stirring, till reduced to a thick sauce, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
    
4. 3- Make yogurt sauce: Tip drained, thickened yogurt into a bowl and add coriander leaves, lime juice. Whisk well till smooth and reserve.
    
5. 4- Place eggplant (brinjal) on dum: Place a large kadhai or other wide pan with a tight-fitting lid on low heat. Position fried eggplant (brinjal) in a single layer without overlapping and sprinkle generously with chaat masala. Ladle 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato sauce (or to taste) on each slice of the eggplant (brinjal), spreading it with a spoon but being careful to ensure that the tomato sauce stays on the eggplant slice. Cover with the lid and give dum for 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully transfer slices to a serving platter. OR if you prefer to make this in an oven, preheat oven to 180º Celsius. Place fried eggplant (brinjal) slices in a baking tray. Ladle 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato sauce (or to taste) on each slice of eggplant (brinjal), spreading it with a spoon but being careful to ensure that the tomato sauce stays on the eggplant slice. Cover tightly with foil and give dum by placing in the preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully transfer slices to a serving platter.
    
6. Top each slice with a large dollop of the reserved yogurt sauce and serve immediately, with the remaining yogurt sauce on the side.
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8. P.S.
9. I added a pinch of hing and ajwain while making tomato masala.
10. This time, skipped adding ginger.
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